The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-22
A TALK FOR PARTY AIMS.
THE HOLIDAY RECESS FURNISHES
THE PRETExT.


Senators of the Republican Persuasion
Again Responsible for the Useless
Waste of Wind-Mr. Plumb Jumps
Into the Arena but Mr. Beck Knocks
Him Out in One Round.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l In the Senate to-
day Mr.. Allison called up the holiday recess
resolution and moved its adoption.
Mr.. Plumb said he would vote against the
resolution, because he thought the proposed
recess was against public interest. Congress
would be in session till the dog days, and
during the latter part of the session the
country would be in the midst of heated
Presidential canvass There was no reason
why the members of Congress should go
home for the holidays.
EACH SIDE TAKES HAND.
Mr. Plumb then proceeded at considerable
length to make political speech, attacking
more particularly the Presidents message
and the financial policy of the adnlnistra-
tion. He said he presumed the adjourn
ment resolution would pass, but he believed
that it would not be with fair regard to
public interests, or to the duty which
rested upon Congress. Mr.. Plumbs speech
brought on a general political debate, par
Vest, Teller, Stewart, Allison, Sherman and
others. At its close the adjournment res
clution was coBcurred in as follows:
Yeds--Messrs. Allison, Bate, Beck, Blackburn
Bodgett, Brown, Butler, Cameron. Cockrell
Coke, Cullom, Eustis, Evarts; Faulkner, Cor
man, Gray. Hampton. Harris, Hearst, Hiscock,
Mcpherson, Morrill,, Pasco, Payne, Pugh, Quay,
Ransom, Reagan, Salisbury, Sawyer, Sherman
Stanford, Turpie Vance, vest Walthall and
Ndys-Messrs. Berry, Blair Bowen Chandler
Davis, Dawes, Dolph, Frye George, Ingalls,
Henderson, Mitchell Paddock, Palmer, Platt
Plumb, Riddleberger, Stewart, and Teller-19
BRANCHING OFF ON THE TARIFF
In the debate Mr. Plumb referred to Mr..
Pugh's resolution that Congress should not
adjourn until action was taken for the dis
posal of the surplus in the Treasury, and
said he did not agree with the President in
many of his statements in the late annual
message, and he did not at all
agree with him in saying that the response
bility of non-actIon in the matter
of the surplus would rest ON Congress. For
his own part he would be glad to remain in
Was ington during the holidays and legis-
late on the subject of the surplus, but not
with any sense of that responsibility of Con-
gress which the President had set forth.
The primary responsibility for the present
condition of the Treasury resided, he
thought, with the President, who totally dis
regarded the law which required him, prac-
tically, to spend the surplus in the purchase
of the national debt. The Presidents ex-
cuse for not doing so was that the provision
of the law was found in ON appropriation
bill, and was therefore, in the Presidents
opinion, Temporary expedient merely. He
Mr. Plumb did not know any warrant for
the President distinguishing between laws
passed by Congress and saying that one
provision of the law was less mandatory
on him than another provision
1t did not come with good
grace from the President to criticise partic-
ular places where important provisions of
law were found. The President would find
that in attempting to do so he would have a
large contract on his hands, and one which
might result somewhat disastrously to him.
The President in his message had omitted
to state one important fact-which was that
the last Congress passed law requiring
him affirmatively to pay S10,0 900 month
in the discharge of the public debt and that
the President had put that bill in his pocket,
thus preventing its becoming law.
TRIPPED UP BY MR.. BECK
Mr.. Beck remarked that the President
had paid the money out even faster than
that bill required.
Mr. Plumb regard that as only another
way that the President had for saying that
he thought he could do better himself than
Congress knew how to tell him. The Presi-
dent had also forgotten to take note of tue
fact that the river and harbor bill which
appropriated some $l4000,000, had failed,
not because of any lack of action by
Congress. The deficiency bill, covering
over $S, ,000. 600, had also failed last session
because of the neglect of the Democratic
majority in the House, and these two sums
would have made a very comfortable ad-
dition to the current funds of the people at
this juncture
Mr.. Beck said he did not propose to go
into debate In regard to the Presidents pol
icy on a resolution for a holiday adjourn
ment. He assumed that the resolution
would prevail, such recess was usual, and
he did not know any exception to it.
He could not understand why the
Senate should now, on motion
like that go into discussion, as
to the Presidents policy when they would
have all next year. But there were some
things which the country ought to know in
connection with the statement made by the
Senator from Kansas The Senator had
not told the country that the policy of the
Republican party, by imposing d.-main-
tanning unnecessarily high taxation, had
produced the surplus, and that that same
party was determined to hold it there or to
waste it in such schemes as the Republican
party might desire
ALL FOR THE BoNDHoLDERS.
The Senator had not told that the Repub-
lican party had so adjusted the debts of the
United States that they could not be paid
with the money thus brought by high taxa
tion into the Treasury, unless such premi-
ums were paid to the bondholders as they
might demand. The policy of the
Republican party had postponed the
payment of $250,00O, 900 of the
debt till 1891, and of $140,000,O00 till
1907. The President had paid every dollar
OF the 3 per cent. bonds that were payable
without paying any premium which the
bondholders might see tit 70 ask The
Democratic rarity headed by the President
was endeavoring to reduce taxes SO that so
large surplus should not come into the
Treasury. All that the President bad said
was that it was not a proper thing
for him or the Secretary of the
Treasury to do to pay $3.50
or $3.50 for every 500 of the public
debt; and that it was the duty of Congress
to reduce the taxation of the people down
to point that there would not be surplus.
lie thought that the course of the Presi-
dent and Democratic party would be fully
vindicated, while it would be very hard for
the gentlemen on the other side to explain
why they had kept up taxation TO the ex-
tent which they had done.
Mr.. Dolph argued that If proper appro-
priatlons were made for rivers and harbors,
Tor public buildings, for coast Notifications,
Tor dependent pensioners, for the encourage
Inent OF American commerce. and for the